Puzzle.



0. W. BROWN.

PUZZLE.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 21. I9

Patented May-15, 191?.

key block to be OSCAR W. BROWN, OF ITE 00K, SOUTH DAKOTA.

PUZZLE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 15, 19117.,

Application filed June 27, 1916. Serial l\To. 106,243.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that T, @soAR W. BRowN, a citizen of the United States,residing at White Boclqin the county of Roberts and State of SouthDakota, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Puzzles, ofwhich the following is a specifi-- cation.

My invention relates to an improvement in puzzles, and more particularlyto devices of this character commonly knownas block puzzles, in which aplurality of blocks are arranged to be brought together in aninterfitting relation and are notched and cut out to have portionsthereof interfitted, thus presenting the structure in such a manner thatthe proper fitting of the parts presents an exceedingly perplexing andintricate puzzle.

An object of my invention is to provide a puzzle of the type set forthabove in which a plurality of rectilinear blocks are notched andmortised out to form grooves and cavities in the side central portions,said blocks having the grooves and cavities formed in such relations andshaped to be of such configuration that when the blocks are properlyassociated a close fitting of the same is permitted, and in associatingwith the notched and mortised blocks, a counter-part rectilinear keyblock to be fitted through an opening left between adjacent blocks tosecure the interfitted blocks against displacement.

A further object lies in constructing-the of a substantially rectangularprismatic shape without notching or mortising and in notching andmortising the remaining blocks each upon two adjacent sides and informing the notches and mortises of various blocks so that they veryclosely resemble each other, thus making the fitting of the parts moreperplexing and intricate. v

With the above and other objects in View, my invention consists incertain novel features of construction and combinations of parts whichwill be hereinafter set forth in connection with the drawings and thenmore particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the drawings: Figure l is a view in perspective showing the severalblocks fitted in the assembled mounting and with the key block in place;

Figs. 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6, are views in per 'spective of the variouscounter-part rectilinear blocks which are notched and mortised out toform the grooves and cavities.

Fig. 7 is 'a block; and

Fig. 8 is a perspective view showing three of the notched and mortisedblocks mounted in the interfitted relation and with a fourth block aboutto be mounted in place.

The members of the puzzle comprise six counterpart rectilinear blocks,as shown in Figs. 1 to 7 inclusive, and as is designated A, B, C, D, B,and F. These blocks are square in their cross sections, being sayperhaps f ths of an inch through and are perhaps 1% inches long, as thisforms a convenient size for the blocks By makingthe rectilinear blocksin the proportion as above set forth, the width or transverse dimensionis i of the longitudinal dimension, and in the fitting of the notchedand mortised blocks, it is the impression that each block shall presenta substantially cubically shaped end, this meaning that the crossing andinterfitting of the parts is accomplished so that the ends of each ofthe blocks are permitted to extend. The block F is a key or lockingblock, and as it is the intention that this block shall be fittedendwise in an opening left by the arranging of the remaining blocks,this block F is made plain throughout its entire extent and is notnotched, mortised or otherwise cut out or shaped in its body portion.

In referring to the notching or mortising of the several block membersA, B, C, D and E, it will of course be understood that the notches andmortises are all formed to extend only one-half of the distance throughthe block, and also it is to be understood that all notches and mortiseswill be en-v tirely within the two central fourths of the lengths of theblocks as above divided for convenience in describing the manner offorming the notches and recesses. The block A has a notch 1 cutcentrally through one side thereof and of width equal to the transversedimension of the block, and a notch of one-half width is cut in anadjacent'side as at 2, to extendsubstantially at right angle to thenotch l and placed entirely outside of this notch. A mortise 3 iscutinto the block A from the side 4 in which the notch 2 is cut and extendshalf way across the face 5 of the block, this morperspective view of thekey I tise being also formed to be of a length corresponding to one-halfthe width of the block.

The block B has a notch 6 cut in the face 7 thereof and adjacent to oneof the side ends and a right angularly disposed notch 8 is cut in theface 9 of the block with its inner side at the longitudinal centerthereof, the mortise 10 being formed in the block as substantially acontinuation ofthe notch 6. The block C has a notch 11 cut in the face12 thereof of twice the width of the block, and a rightangularlyextending notch 13 is cut in the side 14 to be of onehalfthe'width of the block and with its inner line disposed substantiallytudinal center of the block. The block D has a notch 15 cut in the side16 thereof similar to the notch 11,. and then a full width notch 17 iscut in the side 18 of the block to extend equally on each side of thelongitudinal center thereof. A full width notch 19 is cut in the side 20of the block E,

and is spaced at the longitudinal center of the block, and a full widthnotch 21 is cut in the face 22 and is offset to have its inner line atthe center of the block, a mortise 23 beingprovided to open into theface 22 and forming an L-shaped extension from. the notch 19, thismortise being extended for only one-half the width of the block E andhaving its length from the notch 19 the same. 7

From the above it will be seen that the blocks A, B, and E are verysimilar in the formation of the notches and mortises, and that theblocks 4 and 5 will appear substantially the same until a most carefulanalysis of the same is made, also it will be apparent that the variousblocks might be fitted in a number of mountings in the various notchesand mortises of the remaining blocks, however, it is the object of, thepuzzle to arrange the blocks so that they will occupy the relativepositions shown in Fig. 1, and in fitting the members together in theproper relations, a start may be made with the block A and the remainingblocks may be built or set up therearound. With the block A held topredispose in substantially the same position as illustrated, the blockB is fitted in conjunction with the block A in such relation that thetenon 24 of the block A is received in the groove 8 of the block B andthe tenon 25 of the block B will then be received in the cavity formedby the mortising of the block A at 3. The block G is thenfitted to lieacross beneath the block B with a portion'of this block received in thegroove 13 and the block C, thus extends substantially at right anglestothe block A with the upper with the bottom of the groove L The block Dis next fitted in place by having the face 16 thereof brought againstthe face 9 of the at the longiface 12 thereof in a plane parallelblock Band by having the reduced portion thereof adjacent to the groove 17fitted in the groove 2 of the block A. The block E is then inserted inthe open end of the groove 15 of the block D to be received in thegroove 17 of the block D and to have the block B received in the groove21, in which relation of the parts the bottom of the groove 19 is inline with the face 12 of the block C and with the bottom of the groove 6of the block B, thus leaving a substantially square opening through theentire structure, and by insertion of the key or locking block F, theblock E will be held against displacement and through its interlockingengagement with the remaining blocks, the parts will be held againstmovement or against disassembling until the key or locking block F isagain removed.

It is preferable that'the various notches and mortises be cut or formedwith a considerable precision so that as the blocks are fitted in theset up relation,.it will be some what diflicult to detect where thevarious blocks are cut or, notched and thus some dif-' such othersuitable material, and that the blockshave the grooves and cavitiesformed therein in such relations that the blocks very closely resembleeach other and also allow fitting of the parts in many combinationswhich will not bring about a complete assembling of the parts in theproper relation,

and while I have-herein shown and described only one specific form andarrangement of the parts, it will'be understood that slight changes andvariations might be resorted to without departing from the spirit of theinvention, and hence I do not wish to belimited to the exact-disclosurebut rather to only such points as may be set forth in the claims.

I claim: I

1. A block puzzle comprising a rectilinear key block and a plurality ofcounterpart rectilinear blocks each notched out on two of its adjacentsides and in the middle portion to permit interfitting of the blocks ina relation that they are assembled in crossed mounting and leave anopening through which the key block may be inserted to hold thecounterpart notched blocks in the mounted relation.

2. A puzzle comprising a plurality of rectilinear blocks each notched ontwo adjacent sides and certain of said blocks mortised out adjacent tothe notches to thus form-grooves and cavities, said blocks having thegrooves and cavities thereof formed to permit inter- I to leaveanopening through the structure,

and a counter-part rectilinear key blockto be fitted through the openingto hold the notched and mortised blocks against displacement from theirinterfitted mountings.

3. A block puzzle comprising six counter remaining blocks notched on twoadjacent sides and three of the notched blocks mortised out to formcavities in addition to the grooves formed -by the notching, said inpresence of two witnesses.

notched and mortised blocks being shaped to be interfitted in'crossedrelation and in interlocking mountingf'and the key block adapted to befitted through an opening formed by the proper fitting of the remainving blocks to secure the same in the proper v relation and againstdisassembly'. part rectilinear blocks, one of Which is left plain to beused as a key block, each of the In testimony whereof I aflix mysignature "OSCAR Witnesses: Y

Y A. Konsn'r;

A. LERIcKsoN.

W. BROWN.

